San Jose Sharks in unfamiliar position as underdog

By Mark Emmons memmons@mercurynews.com

Posted:
04/08/2012 08:20:35 PM PDT

Updated:
04/09/2012 08:58:08 AM PDT

During the previous four NHL postseasons, the Sharks stepped onto the ice with a target on their backs. They were seeded first or second in the Western Conference and shouldered the burden of being a Stanley Cup favorite.

But this time the skate will be on the other foot.

When the Sharks open their first-round series against St. Louis on Thursday, they will be looking up at the second-seeded Blues. The Sharks just barely squeezed their way into the playoffs with a late rush to earn the Western Conference's seventh seed. They were swept by the Blues in four games during the season.

This is unfamiliar territory for the Sharks, and coach Todd McLellan isn't shy about playing up the fact that the Blues will be expected to win.

"That's just the reality," McLellan said Sunday. "There haven't been too many series where we entered as the underdog, but we are in this one. Does that make us play loose and free? I hope so. But we've been on the other side of the coin, and there is some stress that comes with living up to that lofty perch."

The Sharks didn't handle it well in 2009 when they won the Presidents' Trophy for the NHL's best regular-season record and then were bounced in the first round by eighth-seeded Anaheim.

But Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said he believes playoff seeds do not matter all that much -- except for the key difference that San Jose will not have its usual home-ice advantage.

Advertisement

"The expectations for us are still there," Boyle said. "People are probably a little more unsure of us than they've ever been. But that doesn't really matter as far as this locker room goes. The expectations are still the same, whether we finished eighth, seventh or first."

What can be expected in this series: low-scoring games featuring tight checking and hard hitting. The Blues are the NHL's best defensive team with a knack for suffocating the other team's offensive attack. During the four victories over San Jose this season, St. Louis completely shut down the Sharks, outscoring them 11-3 and recording two shutouts.

"They're relentless on the forecheck," Sharks forward Logan Couture said. "That's all they do. They've got great speed up front. They just chase down pucks."

Added McLellan: "They play a north-south, straightforward game every night. They just believe that they're going to do it harder and longer than you are."

The Blues allowed a league-low 1.89 goals a game. They are anchored by the goaltending tandem of Jaroslav Halak and Brian Elliott, who combined for a modern NHL-record 15 shutouts.

Halak played in more games, recording a 1.97 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage. But Elliott had the better statistics with a 1.56 goals-against average and a .940 save percentage. Elliott also had nine shutouts and a scoreless streak of 241:33.

"It doesn't matter which one is the goalie," Boyle said. "You've got to score goals. They're just a tough team to play against. Defensively they don't give up much at all. The way they play the game is very simple, but very effective."

The Blues have veterans such as Jamie Langenbrunner, Jason Arnott and Andy McDonald -- all of whom have won Stanley Cups. But St. Louis is a younger team that will be in the postseason for the first time as a group. The Blues have been to the playoffs only twice in the past seven seasons and haven't won a postseason game since 2004.

"We played well all year long," Blues defenseman Alex Pietrangelo told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "To finally be there now, it's exciting for us, especially with a young group like we have. We've come such a long way."

St. Louis blossomed under coach Ken Hitchcock, who took over Nov. 6 when the Blues fired Davis Payne after the team struggled to a 6-7 start. Hitchcock immediately turned around the Blues and is considered the favorite for the Jack Adams Trophy as the league's coach of the year.

Adding to the uphill battle the Sharks face is the fact that the Blues went 30-6-5 at Scottrade Center this season. The Sharks will need to find a way to win at least one game on the road. Their inability to do that helped doom them in the past two Western Conference finals.

"The last couple of years when we were eliminated by Vancouver and Chicago, we lost those first two games," Boyle said "That's too deep of a hole. We obviously want to get off to a good start."

While the Sharks surged down the stretch, winning seven of their final nine games, the Blues stumbled a bit. They lost their chance to earn the Presidents' Trophy by losing seven of their final 11 games. Hitchcock said the Blues had begun thinking too much about accolades and lost focus.

Still, McLellan wants the Sharks to embrace the role of a gutty team that few expect to get out of the first round.

"We have to respect them for being one of the top two or three clubs in the NHL," he said. "It's our job to go in and upset them."

McLellan offered no health updates on Ryane Clowe, Colin White or Torrey Mitchell. He wouldn't even concede that Clowe and White are nursing injuries.

Clowe and White didn't play in the third period of Saturday night's 3-2 overtime victory over Los Angeles. Mitchell didn't play because of an undisclosed injury after taking a hard check Thursday against the Kings.